Set in Kashmir, director Vishal Bhardwaj names his next as 'Hyder'

Bollywood film-maker Vishal Bhardwaj's adaption of Shakespearean tragedy 'Hamlet' will be titled 'Hyder' with all its characters set in Kashmir Valley.

Bhardwaj's upcoming film is taking a final shape with the film-maker spending six days in Srinagar after he arrived here on September 15.

The film-maker, who left for Mumbai on Friday, spent the past week visiting different locations in south Kashmir, besides various areas of the summer capital Srinagar. His film is set in both urban and rural locations of the Valley.

Sources said Bhardwaj, who is doing his first-ever film in Kashmir, met locals, spent time on roadside tea stalls and attended local marriage functions "to absorb Kashmir as much as possible".

The film-maker, who is known for setting movies in different backdrops like badlands of UP in 'Omkara', was seen enquiring from locals about the names and what it means to live in Kashmir.

Sources said the film-maker --- before shooting 'Hyder', a local Kashmiri name, in coming winters --- was in the Valley "to bring himself close to the reality in terms of people and locations".

"The film-maker discarded several locales that looked like Himachal. He insisted that he has to capture the essence of Kashmir beauty, which is nothing but Kashmir," said a close source privy to the recent visit.

"The entire film will be shot in Kashmir soon. I am hopeful that people of Kashmir will like it," he was quoted saying by the sources.

With the film-maker reportedly engrossed in reading different authors on Kashmir for the past one year, he was seen carrying a book released last year, 'The Meadow', written by Adrian Levy and Cathy Scott Clark , on the kidnapping of five foreigners during the peak of militancy.

After creating 'Maqbool' from Macbeth and 'Omkara' from Othello, all eyes are now set on 'Hyder' and how it emerges from Shakespeare's 'Hamlet', the author's longest play based on justice and revenge.

The director has already signed actor Shahid Kapoor for the lead role. The female lead is yet to be decided and will not likely be a big Bollywood name.